Ebrahim Kunju (left) Gireesh Babu (right)
Kochi: In the black money laundering case against V K Ebrahim Kunju, the complainant alleged that the former PWD minister offered him Rs 5 lakh to withdraw the complaint.
Gireesh Babu, who had arrived at the Vigilance Office to give his statement as directed by the High Court, also stated that the former minister encouraged him to blame some IUML leaders behind the complaint.
“I filed the plea at the court as there was immense pressure on me to withdraw the case. When I didn’t budge, Ebrahim Kunju’s aides asked me to submit a letter stating some IUML leaders had influenced me to file the complaint. He promised to give me Rs 5 lakh if the letter was submitted. At first some people in my locality, who are close with the former minister, approached me. Later I spoke with Ebrahim Kunju and his son at their house. He directly offered me Rs 5 lakh,” Gireesh said.
Speaking to the media, Gireesh Babu also stated that he doesn’t have any call recordings of the conversation. However, Gireesh Babu added that the details of his visit to Ebrahim Kunju’s house can be obtained by tracing his mobile phone locations and using CCTV footage from the area.
The complaint stated that Ebrahim Kunju used two bank accounts of a media organisation under his control to launder black money Rs 10 crore in 2016, reportedly just after demonetisation. The money is allegedly related to the Palarivattom flyover construction scam.
On the complaint of Gireesh Babu, the Enforcement Directorate booked Ebrahim Kunju as directed by the High Court. The court asked the enforcement and vigilance to submit a report regarding the money laundering case and Palarivattom flyover scam case respectively within April 7.
Gireesh filed a complaint at the HC that Ebrahim Kunju offered him money to withdraw the case. HC then ordered the Vigilance IG to probe the matter and file a report within two weeks. Following this Gireesh reached the Vigilance office to record his statement.
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